Handled shopping bags



Oct. 13, 1964 Filed June 2l 1963 G. w. BRYANT l 3,152,750

HANDLED SHOPPING BAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 ATTORNEYS Oct. 1-3, 1964 G. w; BRYANT 3,152,750-

HANDLED SHOPPINGv BAGS Filed June 21, 196s 2 sheets-sheet 2 -zuug A oRNEYs gence of the handle from the retaining band.

3,152,750 HANDLED SHOPPENG BAGS Goble W. Bryant, Newburgh, NX., assigner to Interstate Bag Company, Inc., Walden, NX., a corporation of Virginia Filed .lune 2l., 1963, Ser. No. 289,493

2 Claims.' (Cl. 229-54) v The present invention relates to handled shopping bags, and is to be regarded as `an improvement on the bag described and claimed inlthepatent to Steen, 3,023,946 of March 6, 1962. In the patented bag construction, the

Y top edge of the bag was providedwith two oppositely located recesses with a score line formed about the upper margin which wasparallel to, and spaced from the top edge a distance less than the depth of the recesses. The formation of the recesses also had the beneficial effect that the corresponding tabs which were'created at the bottom of the bag facilitated the formation of the bag bottonnand effected a saving of paper. Since the score line was interrupted by the recesses, it followed that when the.. top flap wasv folded in, the folded edge was interrupted by the recesses, which thus did not provide a smooth edge for the entire periphery.

p I have now discovered that by dropping the line drawn Y. through the points at which the lhandle legs emerge from the retaining band a slight distance, -it is possible to ditspose the score line below the lower edge of the recesses so as to allow for an amount of bag material which may be jinfolded between the top of the recesses and the score line,` `thus producing a so-called full turn-top bag, i.e., one that has a smooth, turned edge aroundthe entire periphery. In such a bag the advantage is had that the top of the` bag, the'iiap having been infolded, is brought substantially nearer the line between the points of emergence of the handle legs from the retaining band, thus increasing the effective height of the handles above the top of the bag, and enabling the bag to contain an article which projects above the top of the bag a corresponding greater distance. ln such manner, the capacity of the bag is thereby increased. Heretofore, when a full turntop bag was had, the ltop edge ofthe bag was significantly higher from the line drawn through the points of emer- In brief, I have now produced a turn-top bag which has a significantly greater capacity than the full turn-top bags heretofore made. At the same time, l have preserved the advantage of the embodiment according to Patent 3,023,946

United States Patent O "ice the following detailed description taken with the Vannexed Y drawings, in which.

FIGURE 1 is a View of the upper portion of an illustrative bag embodying my invention, the foldable upper end flap of the bag being shown in part u'pstanding, and in part broken away and turned downward; v

EIGURE 2 is an enlarged View taken on line 2-2 of k,Frcnnin 1;

FIGURE 3 is a View on a reduced scale of the inner side of a complete unfoldedy blank with the handles and handle retaining and reinforcing bands attached; and

v l FIGURE is a fragmentary diagrammatic view showing the Yweb at successive stages of advance, and with sup- Patented Oct. 1a, resa plernentary cuts indicated 'in broken lines as they will be applied toward the end of the blank formation..

Referring now to FIGURE 3, the blank 10 comprises body panels 12 and 14, a pair of gusset panels l16 and 18, and a second pair of gusset panels 20 and 22. The upper margins of the body panels 12 and 14 are formed with recesses 26 and 28 respectively; also twine handles 30 and 32 have their end portions adhesively secured between the bodyV panels l2 and 14, respectively, and the reinforcing band 33 which may extend almost completely around the inside of the bag at a distance below the bottom of the recesses 26 and 28. This distance is of particular significance in this invention, i.e., it will accommodate a score line 34 upon which the top flap of the bag will be folded so as to include that portion of restricted height between said score line and the bottom line a of the recesses. Thus in practice, the reinforcingrbanrd 33 may be disposed an inch or more below said lines a, which will enabley the entire top ilap to be turned without diiculty.

Portions of the blank lying below the fold line 24 constitute the bottom forming material. Longitudinal fold lines 38, 40, 42, 44, 4d and 48 extend through the bottom and the body material from end to end of the blank. A further transverse fold line 50 extends across the blank in the bottom area. Short slits S2 are formed tov extend upward from the bottom edge of the blank. Tongues or tabs 54 and 56, so created, extend downward beyond the normal lower boundary edges 57 of the blank, and are complementary respectively to the recesses 26 and 2S. The bottom is also provided with diagonal fold lines 58, 59, 60 and 61. The bottom is in all respects conventional, save that the tabs or tongues 54 and 56 are rounded rather than angular as set forth in Patent 3,023,946. By making the tabs 54 and 56 complementary to the recesses 26 and 23, such flaps are provided at no extra expense of paper. In other words, the present improvement preserves this advantage as set forth in Patent 3,023,946.

ln the manufacture of bags of this type, it is usual to slit the web along straight transverse lines extending cornpletely across the handle zones, and short distances beyond them, so that'each bag length can be separated from the web'after the handles have been applied, by a y' complementary partial severance conned to zones which are clear of the handles. g Y

ln the present instance, these cuts or partial severances are effected approximately an inch or slightly more beyond the upper boundary of the band 33, such slits being denoted b, b. The second severance lines indicated as c, c, are spaced beyond the lines b, b, so as to give a turned-in flap of the usual width, say approximately 1% inches, thereby creating a fiap of this Width except at the region of the handles, wherein such dimension is reduced by the amount of encroachment of the cutouts. Here, although it will be noticed that these turned-in portions are of reduced width as compared with the rest of the flap, they are tucked back of the handle legs which operate to counteract any tendency of these short port-ions to stand away from the body of the bag.

Continuing the description of the bag making operation, adhesive stripes 63,FIGURE 4, are now deposited,

the topscore lines c,having curved portions c v`which connect with the cuts b, are effected. At the same time, longitudinal cuts 52 are made, as seen in FIGURE 3. When these operations have been performed, the bag blanks are separated along the lines b, c and c, in the usual manner by passing the web through rolls which, by giving the leading end of the web containing the blank a sudden pull, separates it from the remainder of the web. Thereafter, the blanks are formed into bags by conventional steps 4which are not: necessaryto describe here.

If desired,:adhesive.spots 65iand 67 may beprovided, the. purpose -of which is to secure the folded ap -in place.

-Thiszturning of the flaps .may be effected-as `thelast step in ythe bag manufacture, andmay be done manually, or

lbyr.mechanical means with which the present invention is-not presentlyiconcerned.

While certain preferred embodiments .of the invention havebeen illustrated-and described in detail, it is to be .understood thatY changes .may be made thereinl and the invention .praeticedwin other -forms without departing fromthe spirit of myeinvention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A handled shopping bagcomprising a tubular body Vhaving twoopposedsidewall sections,

a-folded-overrtop edge and -a bottom foldedstructure, said top edge before being folded over being substantially straight save for two oppositely located recesses formed in the `upper margins of said two Wall sections, `a score line formed about the upper margin of said body substantially parallel to and spaced from vthe top edge thereof-a distance -below the edge yof said recesses to` permitfolding of the upper margin of said ytubularbody to form an unbroken folded edge t all the1way roundthe Vtop lof the bag, a-pair of Vflexible (looped. handles-having theirv end portions vunited to the inner faces of said side-Walls Vbelowsaid score line and within the lower extent of .said recesses with the handles extending up into :the areas of saidrecessesienabling the handles to be ,grasped for carrying the bag with said upper margin Vinfold, VAa band vdisposed substantially parallel `with the top 4 edge of the bag, and adhesively securing said handles yto Athe bag, said -band being spaced below saidrecesses by an amount such that when the top flap is turned in, the bottom edges of such recesses approximately meet said band.

2. A handled shopping bag comprising a tubular body having two opposed sidewall sections,

a folded-over top edge and v a bottom folded structure, said top edge before being folded over being substantially straight save for two oppositely located recesses formed in the upper margins of said two wall sections,

a' scoreflinecformed abouti'the lupperimargin of said lbody substantially parallel toand spaced from the top edge thereof a distance below the edge of said recesses Vto lpermit folding fof the upper margin of said'tubular body to form.` an unbroken folded edge all `the Way round the top of the bag,

arpair of flexible looped handles having theirA end portions united to the inner faces of said side walls below said score line and Within the lower extent lof said recesses with the' handles extending up into the areas of said recesses enabling the handles to be graspedfor carrying the bag with said-upper margin `infolded, the lower end of the body being complementary to the upper end thereof and being infolded and adhered to form a rectangular bottom, thefbottom edge of the body, though generally straight, being interrupted in its straight-ness by the inclusion of integral, protruding, adhesion tongues along opposite infoldedV and adhesively united sides of the bottom, which tongues substantially increase the area of overlap, and f adhesion, of said infolded sides of the bottom, and thereby serve to provide important reinforcement for the bottom, fthe tongues being complementary to the recesses in the 'upper end of the body, and being therefore provided at no extra expense of paper.

References Cited inthe le'ofithispatent UNITED .STATES PATENTS 

2. A HANDLED SHOPPING BAG COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY HAVING TWO OPPOSED SIDEWALL SECTIONS, A FOLDED-OVER TOP EDGE AND A BOTTOM FOLDED STRUCTURE, SAID TOP EDGE BEFORE BEING FOLDED OVER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT SAVE FOR TWO OPPOSITELY LOCATED RECESSES FORMED IN THE UPPER MARGINS OF SAID TWO WALL SECTIONS, A SCORE LINE FORMED ABOUT THE UPPER MARGIN OF SAID BODY SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM THE TOP EDGE THEREOF A DISTANCE BELOW THE EDGE OF SAID RECESSES TO PERMIT FOLDING OF THE UPPER MARGIN OF SAID TUBULAR BODY TO FORM AN UNBROKEN FOLDED EDGE ALL THE WAY ROUND THE TOP OF THE BAG, A PAIR OF FLEXIBLE LOOPED HANDLES HAVING THEIR END PORTIONS UNITED TO THE INNER FACES OF SAID SIDE WALLS BELOW SAID SCORE LINE AND WITHIN THE LOWER EXTENT OF SAID RECESSES WITH THE HANDLES EXTENDING UP INTO THE AREA OF SAID RECESSES ENABLING THE HANDLES TO BE GRASPED FOR CARRYING THE BAG WITH SAID UPPER MARGIN INFOLDED, THE LOWER END OF THE BODY BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO THE UPPER END THEREOF AND BEING INFOLDED AND ADHERED TO FORM A RECTANGULAR BOTTOM, THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE BODY, THROUGH GENERALLY STRAIGHT, BEING INTERRUPTED IN ITS STRAIGHTNESS BY THE INCLUSION OF INTEGRAL, PROTRUDING, ADHESION TONGUES ALONG OPPOSITE INFOLDED AND ADHESIVELY UNITED SIDES OF THE BOTTOM, WHICH TONGUES SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE THE AREA OF OVERLAP, AND OF ADHESION, OF SAID INFOLDED SIDES OF THE BOTTOM, AND THEREBY SERVE TO PROVIDE IMPORTANT REINFORCEMENT FOR THE BOTTOM, THE TONGUES BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO THE RECESSES IN THE UPPER END OF THE BODY, AND BEING THEREFORE PROVIDED AT NO EXTRA EXPENSE OF PAPER. 